Kunda is misleading the country and Rupiah over NCC, charges Sata

Kunda is misleading the country and Rupiah over NCC, charges Sata
Written by Ernest Chanda
Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:38:30 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) leader Michael Sata has said Vice-President George Kunda is a liar who is misleading the nation and President Rupiah Banda on the National Constitutional Conference (NCC). Commenting on Vice-President Kunda's statement in Parliament on Wednesday that the NCC's mandate would be extended up to 2010, Sata said Vice-President Kunda was more obsessed with money than loyalty to Zambians.

"Let me say that I have been vindicated over my misgivings on the NCC. George Kunda misled Mwanawasa by telling him that the NCC was better than a constituent assembly. He has turned the NCC into a Sangwapo business where him and his colleagues can rip off Zambians," Sata said.

"Mwanawasa was a lawyer, but George Kunda managed to mislead him. And now I feel pity on helpless Rupiah Banda who is not even a lawyer. There is nothing new in that NCC because Mung'omba [Constitution Review Commission] did everything. Kunda is a liar and has always lived by telling lies; that's how he has survived. So, he will be misleading every other President to keep his job."

Sata challenged Zambians to rise and stop abuse of their resources through the NCC.

"The NCC has got no legal power to decide on when we should have a new constitution. All those attending the NCC are just overwhelmed by the money, which is there. I call on Zambians to rise up and get rid of the NCC. George Kunda has no morals when it comes to saving his skin and pocket," he said.

"He has sold all the land in Serenje to the Chinese, imagine over 1.2 million hectares of land! And now he is telling us that the NNC should determine when we should have a new constitution, that's wrong. The constituent assembly had legal powers to adopt a new constitution, but the NCC doesn't have. This country has been taken for a ride by George Kunda and his friends."

Sata said the government was not even concerned about the welfare of the poor.

And former commissioner in the Mung'omba Constitution Review Commission Bishop John Mambo said Vice-President Kunda's statement on the NCC mandate had contradicted that of President Banda.

"The Vice-President misdirected the nation when he said that in Parliament. His statement is contradicting the President's statement at a press conference this year. There, President Banda asked the NCC to work within the current mandate. But now we have George Kunda telling us that there will be an extension, this is wrong!" Bishop Mambo said.

"The country is struggling to pay health workers and teachers. And now just when we thought the NCC activities were coming to an end we have the Vice-President telling us that it will be extended. Hon Kunda is my friend but on this one we differ. The problem in Zambia is that we love allowances. You cannot have a situation where the President says one thing and the Vice-President says another. This is total confusion!"

Responding to a question in Parliament on Wednesday from Chipili PF member of parliament Davies Mwila on whether the NCC's mandate would be extended, Vice-President Kunda answered in the affirmative, saying the NCC had a lot of work to do.

"The NCC Act has a provision for extension of the life of the NCC. Those of us participating in the NCC have found it to be very useful and we are learning a lot from there. It is important that we do a good job on the making of our new constitution. We shall continue with extensions and we shall extend in the interim up to the year 2010," said Vice-President Kunda.